Writer's Block 101 - Random Thoughts

The lady's name was Emily Ann Smith and she was my long ago teacher. For the past times she was a true non-conformist, for these times she would be a quiet feminist, a true paragon of competence. She pushed, she prodded, she demanded, and I don't think I was ready for the lessons she forced upon me. Today I am greatful that she was exactly who she was. Today I handed myself the excuse that I have writer's block and in the background of my mind I can hear her snort of absolute disapproval along with the forceful statement, "There is no such THING!" Among the words I do not say is that writer's block adds up to a person's inability to pop in the ear plugs and lock the door so that no person and no thing can interrupt the thoughts rushing through a concious mind as quickly or more quickly than fingers can hit the computer keyboard!

Today is supposed to be a rainy day but that promise has not come to fruition yet. The clouds are gray and hazy but there is little wind and no sign of falling moisture ...yet. Perhaps I should invoke the old wives tale and take my Honda to the car wash. Then rain would surely come and my vehicle would fall apart in shock simply because I washed it. My arthritic joints are complaining but I don't have either the time or the inclination to listen to creaks and such. From her Facebook entry, I see that my niece was out last night with her sorority sisters enjoying an evening with other young single women in a city that is too full of women and empty of any significant number of upstanding, forthright, eligible men. I spent four years in that city as a young single woman and then took the advice my eventual mother-in-law offered...it was time to get out of there. My mother-in-law was right...it was time. Instead of writing, thinking and growing....in that city it was much too easy to get caught up in the day to day drama of other people's issues and mor importantly...simple survival issues. There are always the physical and mental survival issues of pay the rent, buy food, occasionally shop for whatever strikes one's fancy and oh yes, what is LIFE all about. Those are perfect issues for the young but now that I have passed through those years..they deserve only a passing thought and the encouraging comment of ..."Have fun!"

Aha! A cloud parted and now the sun is peeping through with its strong shot of bright light. Now the day is no longer as oppressive as its beginnings. There are times when I think that is why GOD created sunshine and its opposite rain. That creation of opposites gives mankind a strong burst of hope along the pathway of what is always the unknown future! On the other hand, some of my best days, days when the words are flowing together and the ideas form effortlessly come on rainy days and have since I was a very young writer, I can remember sitting on my grandmother's back porch with the precious beat up red typewriter that my uncle had brought home to me...tapping away. I was never a great typist and I'm still not the best. Uncle Carter used to laugh at me and say that my mind flew faster than my fingers. I truly think that he was probably right...esecia;;y when I look at some of the typos that I make even with my computer keyboard. Uncle Tom would not believe the computer that his little red typewriter has changed into and Uncle Carter would certainly say thet "Sis still can't type very well!" and he would be right. They both would than laugh and say...but she is still writing. Uncle Jack, the youngest uncle, is probably chiming in with "But when is she going to finish writing the family story?" The final comment would be Daddy's...."Isn't it time you got back to work and quite blaming Writer's Block?" And when my father asked that question, one eyebrow would be raised as he waited for my next word or action.

Okay! Okay! I get the message. It's time to get to back work!